Jury acquits all 7 leaders of Oregon standoff

Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY , KHOU7:34 PM. CDT October 27, 2016

Ammon Bundy, the leader of an anti-government militia, speaks to members of the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on January 6, 2016 near Burns, Oregon. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Photo: Justin Sullivan, 2016 Getty Images)

The seven leaders of an armed group who took over a wildlife refuge in Oregon earlier this year were found not guilty Thursday of conspiracy and possession of firearms at a federal facility.

A jury exonerated brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five other codefendants of conspiring to block federal workers from their jobs at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in a standoff that began Jan. 2 and lasted almost six weeks.

Some of the defendants also were charged with possession of firearms at a federal facility and were acquitted on that count too.

The standoff began Jan. 2 and lasted nearly six weeks, bringing new attention to a long-running dispute over control of federal lands in the West.

The Bundys are still facing charges in Nevada stemming from a high-profile 2014 standoff with federal agents trying to round up their father Cliven Bundy's cattle.